Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ – Ucluelet First Nation Implements a Living Wage Policy

President Les Doiron announced today that the Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ – Ucluelet First Nation has become the second First Nation in Canada to implement a living wage policy. Beginning today Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ Government hourly employees will be paid the current living wage rate for Ucluelet which is $20.11/hour.

President Doiron, who championed the living wage policy, firmly believes that citizens working for the Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ Government should not be required to work a second or third job to make ends meet:

“This living wage policy is huge for our people. The cost of living is extremely high where we live and I wanted to ensure our people do not suffer unfairly as a result. That is why I made adopting a living wage policy a priority. The new living wage is really going to make a difference for our people”.

Asked what this new living wage rate would mean to her, Celena Cook a Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ Government employee said,

“It means I won’t have to work a second job and I can spend more time with my family including two young kids.”

When discussing the importance of a living wage policy, the President underscored the significance of being a Treaty Nation for the people of his Nation:

“As a Treaty Nation, we are free to make our own decisions, in accordance with our own laws. We are no longer a ward of the Federal Government and dependent on INAC. The Treaty affords us the ability to make decisions – such as the living wage policy – that makes a positive difference in our community.”

A living wage is the hourly amount a family needs to cover basic expenses. The living wage calculation is based on a two-parent family with two children – the most common family unit in BC – and each parent working full-time.

Deanna Ogle, campaign organizer with the Living Wage for Families Campaign praised President Doiron and the Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ Government:

“By paying a living wage, the Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ Government is demonstrating a strong commitment to the economic health of the community. A living wage policy is a powerful expression of the community value of caring for one another.”

There are currently over 80 Living Wage Employers across BC. The Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ Government joins Vancouver, Huu-ay-aht First Nation, Port Coquitlam, Pitt Meadows, Parksville, New Westminster and Quesnel as one of the eight local governments with a living wage policy.